In the aftermath of a 129-117 loss to the Bucks on Friday, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton had a candid chat with the media where he reflected on why things are trending the way they are. According to Haliburton, who has been struggling with his shot all season, he’s feeling major frustration right now as he tries to play through this slump (via Tony East).
Reporter: “You’ve had some time to work through this, do you have a better sense of what’s holding you back?”
Tyrese Haliburton: “No, no I don’t.”
Reporter: “How are you feeling mentally just not being able to know?”
Tyrese Haliburton: “It’s part of it, it’s part of basketball. I just gotta keep trusting myself, working hard, trusting my teammates, and I’ll figure it out.”
The Pacers fell to 6-10 tonight after a devastating loss to the Bucks. Milwaukee shot 53.3% from the field while the Pacers struggled to keep up with 11-34 shooting from three. It was a vastly different experience than what we’d expect from this Pacers team, which was one of the best offensive squads in the NBA last year.
With Haliburton leading the charge, the Pacers ran an unstoppable offense with a fast pace and aggressive approach. As the star point guard, Haliburton was at the center of it all and his combination of skills as a playmaker, passer, and scorer elevated the Pacers to a whole new level in the East.
This season, however, has been a completely different story for the Pacers. They’ve been a shell of themselves this season, starting with Tyrese Haliburton whose stats are down across the board. He’s averaging 15.3 points and 8.5 assists per game on a measly 37.5% shooting. In the loss tonight, he wasn’t much better with a final stat line of 18 points, 9 assists, and 1 rebound on 41.9% shooting from three.
Haliburton just hasn’t been having the same kind of impact offensively, and that’s a big problem since the Pacers are built around Haliburton’s offensive. If he’s not right, the Pacers are going to struggle to win games and that’s exactly what we’re seeing this season.
From the looks of it, Haliburton has no idea how to get back on track, and with health not a factor here, some are starting to believe that his initial All-Star campaign was a fluke.
After a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Pacers had ambitions to compete for a title this year, and their mix of young stars and veterans should give them a chance. But without Haliburton playing at his peak form, the Pacers will never reach their true potential and they’ll never overcome some of the juggernauts in the East.
After signing a five-year, $260 million extension with the Pacers, Haliburton is here to stay and they have no choice but to be patient with his game and hope for the best until he can snap out of this slum. Fortunately, at 24 years old, Hali still has plenty of time left to redeem himself and bring the Pacers back up to a position of power in the East.
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